


Static

by twinkrevali



Series: Androids in Love [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Android AU, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Sad with a Happy Ending, Very fluffy, android akaashi, engineer/scientist bokuto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-04-07 15:28:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4268499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twinkrevali/pseuds/twinkrevali
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"When Akaashi first becomes aware, he is blind. He does not know yet how he came to be – or what he is really – but as he feels his central processing unit click to life, the lights embedded in the lenses of his eyes warm up, and the world around him comes into focus."</p>
<p>(In which Akaashi is an android who falls in love with his creator and doesn't understand what's happening)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Static

**Author's Note:**

> Hello~!  
> I have been meaning to write this for the longest time I'm sooo happy I finally got to write something like this eep!  
> disclaimer: I am not a scientist or a roboticist by any stretch (just a mad sci fi fan haha) so if there's anything in here that sounds off or is inaccurate please let me know! (on the other hand like 500% of everything is made up so idk if it really makes a difference LMAO) Otherwise, enjoy the read and please let me know what you think!!

When Akaashi first becomes aware, he is blind. He does not know yet how he came to be – or what he is really – but as he feels his central processing unit click to life, the lights embedded in the lenses of his eyes warm up, and the world around him comes into focus.

The world as he sees it appears to be dominated by golden orbs of light at first, shifting as they move around his periphery. He soon realises that these golden orbs belong to someone – a person ( _thermal image– warm; blood; human,_ are the keywords that the figure’s appearance trigger) – who is currently trying to talk to him.

“My physical senses are not fully functional yet.” He attempts to say, and whilst he can’t properly hear himself speak, he gauges from the way the person before him blinks rapidly and grins at him is a clear sign that his message has been received. Suddenly, there’s a soft ‘pop’ and it feels like Akaashi has been sucked into a vacuum of feeling as the last lines of binary written for _‘sensory feeling’_ finally fall into their allotted slots in his programming. He grunts softly at the sudden shock of sensation, to which the figure before him searches his face with an alarmed expression, as though looking for the cause of the sound.

“Are you okay?” he asks, and Akaashi finds himself responding without thinking.

“No, I am Akaashi.”

There’s a beat, and then the person standing before Akaashi snorts out a laugh.

“Did you just _dad joke_ me?” he asks, and Akaashi pauses for a moment, attempting to process the unfamiliar concept of ‘dad joke’. The phrase passes through each layer of his central processing unit, searching for a connection. After three attempts, he feels his circuits’ glitch.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand the phrase ‘dad joke’. Could you please explain what you mean?” He asks, tilting his head towards the man, who shuffles his feet awkwardly.

“Uhh-h,” the man stutters, before clearing his throat and trying to piece together a meaning he thinks will make sense. “They’re kinda like– jokes…that aren’t…” he forgoes the explanation when he sees Akaashi’s brow furrow, head crooked to the right in a manner that indicates ‘sorry, I do not understand.’

There’s a beat of silence, and Akaashi’s eyes flick across the aging warehouse, internal processors whirring softly as they decode the visual cues they are given. _Open; abandoned; empty._ He turns his gaze to the person standing before him, face recognition software taking in the features of the strangers face. He stores them under ‘unfamiliar— adjust when presented with further information.’

“What are you called?” He asks, focusing on the man’s face so he can attach the response to the context cues he has already been given.

“Oh! I’m Bokuto,” comes the response, and the man – _Bokuto –_ appears to present his hand to Akaashi, before faltering half way. Akaashi watches the whole process with fascination, blinking at the jarring movement.

“Why did you do that?” he asks, watching _Bokuto’s_ hand as it falls limp at the man’s side.

“It was meant to be, uh,” Bokuto suddenly looks sheepish, casting a self-conscious glance at Akaashi where he is seated on the workbench. “It was meant to be a handshake.” He finishes, almost wincing at the word _handshake_.

Akaashi sits in silence for a moment, eyes flickering as he processes this new concept. When he’s finished, he turns to Bokuto again.

“Why did you falter? Is there something particularly significant about offering a handshake?”

Bokuto blinks, thrown off by the question.

“It’s just like, something you do when you meet new people? Or I guess in your case robots…” The word triggers an alarm in Akaashi’s internal processing unit, and he feels himself go still, core processor heating up as he attempts to remain in a state of neutrality. “Anyway,” Bokuto continues, seeming not to have noticed the change, “it’s just a dumb social thing, don’t worry about–” his words are cut short by Akaashi, who suddenly pushes himself off the workbench and moves towards the startled figure.

“You don’t- no, it’s okay, really-” Bokuto all but squeaks as Akaashi reaches for the hand at his side, taking it into his own and grasping it gently. Akaashi raises both of their hands up into a soft shake, watching the engineer steadily. He notes the way Bokuto leaves his hand elevated for a moment when he lets go, the action differing from the drop he witnessed before. His eyes flicker again as they store the actions in his motor cortex, the connotation of each action encoded in binary.

“I am a robot.” Akaashi says, tone even. There is a flash in Bokuto’s eyes, and Akaashi finds the atmosphere around him close in as Bokuto shifts impossibly close.

“You are a robot.” He breathes, staring into Akaashi’s eyes as though he is searching for something.

“Could you please take a step back from me, I am feeling– ” Akaashi pauses. What is he feeling? His circuitry clicks and vibrates as he searches for a descriptor to use.

“I am feeling _caged._ ” He settles on, noticing the way Bokuto appears to tense, taking a small step away from him. He assesses the action and logs the response in his internal lexicon, noting the way Bokuto’s demeanor changes when he hears the word _caged._ Bokuto smiles and the action makes Akaashi’s emotion simulator click as he turns the expression into memory data.

“I’ve never really been good at the whole ‘personal space’ thing,” Bokuto shrugs, and Akaashi tilts his head, staring at the man with an even gaze.

“You didn’t need to apologise.”

At this, Bokuto seems to go slack, staring at Akaashi with an incredulous expression.

“Didn’t you just say you felt– ”

“My emotions simulator appears to be missing core language cues, I’m sorry if the language I settled on was inappropriate for the current context.”

Bokuto blinks at the explanation, before huffing out a laugh and bringing his hand to Akaashi’s arm, which he brushes softly before moving back.

“I’m sorry, again,” he murmurs, “I can fix that.”  
  


***  
  


“Why am I here?” Akaashi asks one day, seated in a puffy recycled canvas chair as Bokuto attaches wires into magnetic electrodes in Akaashi’s chest. The action makes his core processor glitch for a moment, and Bokuto looks up at him, fighting back the smile he feels creeping onto his face.

“What’d you say? The electrodes made your voice go all dippy and weird,” he says, and for a moment Akaashi is silent, processing and decoding the meanings of _dippy_ and _weird._

“Oh,” Akaashi reasons out loud, “you mean my vocal distortion.” Bokuto blinks for a second before he makes the connection, and this time he doesn’t bother hiding the grin that spreads across his face.

“I asked why am I here,” Akaashi repeats his first question, and Bokuto pauses his task, looking up at the android.

“Are you asking me why I’m your dad?” His grin turns sly, one eye narrowing as he waits for Akaashi to process his response.

“You’re not my dad.” Akaashi snips, turning his face away from Bokuto.

“Aw c’mon, can’t a man have some fun with his science project?” Bokuto whines, nudging Akaashi’s thigh from where he’s crouched. He waits a moment before huffing out a sigh and resuming the task before him.

_Science Project._ The phrase alerts Akaashi’s internal processing unit, and he turns his head slowly to look down at Bokuto, who’s humming softly as he continues to attach wires to Akaashi’s body. _Science Project._

Bokuto looks up in alarm as he feels the intricate machinery underneath Akaashi’s soft faux-skin begin to whir and vibrate, as though charged with an influx of static electricity.

“You’re about to buzz out” Bokuto looks at Akaashi with wide eyes, panic griping his chest for a moment, before he straightens his back and gives the command, “Akaashi, articulate.”

The way Akaashi shifts startles Bokuto, as it has done countless times before when he has short-circuited, and he watches nervously as the android stares into a void, translating the binary he is attempting to decode.

“Science project; implies that I am some sort of experiment; impersonal; conflict due to a failure in the emotion simulation cortex.”

Bokuto’s chest contracts as he realises Akaashi’s glitch is because of him. “Complete. System reboot.” He says, words heavy on his tongue.

With that, Akaashi powers down, eyes growing dim as his central processing unit lulls into hyper sleep. This is the part Bokuto hates the most – there’s always the possibility Akaashi won’t power back up, after all – until there’s a small ‘pop’, and the static charge rumbling under Akaashi’s skin dissipates, fingertips and joints glowing softly as his central processing unit restarts.

“Why am I here?” Akaashi blinks twice, looking at Bokuto with unfamiliar eyes.

Bokuto chews his lip, refusing to look at Akaashi as he speaks.

“You’re here because I found you hanging out of a dumpster on the verge of retirement. I had to practically recode your entire system. But I’m glad I did, because _that_ is why you’re here.” He can feel Akaashi’s eyes boring into the top of his head, but he opts to ignore them, turning instead to the computer awaiting command to upload extra data to the android’s base core.

Akaashi watches as Bokuto avoids his gaze.

“Oh,” Is all he says.  
  


***

  
Bokuto is making minor enhancements to Akaashi’s base computer when the power cuts out.

“Fuck!” he curses as a shock of power surges through his fingers, forcing him to stumble back and catch his breath.

“Is everything alright?” Akaashi calls out in the dimness of the warehouse, and when he doesn’t get a reply, he calls out an uncertain, “Bokuto-san?”

“I’m fine, fucking fine,” Bokuto spits after his heart has returned to a somewhat normal tempo.

“The generators must have overheated,” he sighs, turning to look at Akaashi with a tired look, “I’ll go check it out; don’t leave the warehouse, okay? Direct order.”

Akaashi watches Bokuto shuffle out of the small door hidden away in the back corner of the warehouse, running his hands through the shock of grey hair on his head.

_He is frustrated_ the android reasons.

After fifteen minutes pass and Bokuto is still outside assessing the generators, Akaashi sits in his chair, fingers and joints glowing soft hues of gold in the dim space. He catalogues the way Bokuto’s face looked when the power died, distorted and unfamiliar. As the images pass through each layer of his central processing unit, Akaashi realises that he has only ever seen this face when Bokuto has been sleeping or daydreaming. As he attempts to analyze Bokuto’s expression through his facial recognition software, he feels the program begin to jam up and clicks his tongue impatiently, feeling uneasy about the lack of information at his disposal. _Does this constitute as ‘fear’?_ Akaashi thinks to himself, before he hears the echo of a door clicking shut, standing to greet Bokuto as the man pads back into the warehouse, looking haggard.

“Our main generator has short circuited completely. I can fix it but it’s going to take a week at least,” he explains to Akaashi, who nods his head to demonstrate he understands.

“I dragged out the backup generators, but they’re only good for basics; I can’t use any of the computers until I fix the main power.” Akaashi nods again.

“Okay.” Bokuto sighs, hugging his tool-bag to his chest. “I’m going to bed.”

His tone of voice triggers an alarm in Akaashi’s central processing unit.

“It’s only five o’clock,” he says slowly, feeling the metal under his skin grow warm.

“It doesn’t matter.” Bokuto shrugs, “I can’t do anything at the moment. I’m just having a nap, power down if you want.” He moves past Akaashi towards the old bunk attached to the wall, not bothering to undress as he picks up heavy blankets from the floor and buries himself in them.

For the next three days Akaashi watches as Bokuto picks at the power generators for hours on end before giving up and going to bed. He doesn’t know how to interpret the mood that Bokuto seems to be stuck in. He begins to think that maybe Bokuto just needs to be recalibrated before realising that Bokuto may not _have_ a reset function – _humans in general_ may not have a reset function – as he does, and he feels his circuitry begin to buzz with static electricity, metal under skin growing ever warmer.

On the fourth day, Akaashi sits in his chair, fingers glowing, for exactly thirty minutes after Bokuto returns from his work on the generators. He silently moves to where Bokuto lies facing the wall and reaches out, gently prodding at the resting figure’s shoulder. Bokuto jumps at the touch, struggling to move in his blanket cocoon before turning towards Akaashi with bleary eyes.

“What’s up?” Bokuto asks Akaashi, who is staring at Bokuto’s face intently.

“Articulate,” is all the android says.

Bokuto blinks twice, replying with a shaky “Excuse me?”

“Articulate.” Akaashi repeats himself, before continuing, “The emotions you have been displaying over the last three days are unfamiliar to me. Articulate so I can encode new information. I need to understand.”

Bokuto is wide-awake now, adjusting himself so he is seated on the edge of the bunk, blankets draped around his shoulders.

“Akaashi?” He asks, concern lacing his voice, “Are you feeling okay? You’re…actually kind of scaring me right now.”

Akaashi stares at Bokuto with a blank expression, before his brow creases and he suddenly grabs Bokuto by both shoulders.

“Articulate, Bokuto-san. Ar-tic-u-late.” He accents his words with a shake of Bokuto’s shoulders, and the engineer pries himself off Akaashi, jumping off the bed and moving away from the android, who follows him with a deepening frown.

“Akaashi, stop,” Bokuto commands in a shaky voice, hoping his tone doesn’t give away the panic he feels winding it’s way around his limbs. The words seem to have an effect on the android, who stops in his tracks, expression morphing in to one of frustration and despair as his gaze drops to his feet.

“I don’t know how to help you, Bokuto-san,” he says, so quiet that Bokuto almost misses it. “I don’t recognise these emotions, I can’t identify them in my lexicon.”

Akaashi looks at Bokuto now, whose hands have fallen limp beside him. “I think-- I can’t-” Akaashi tries to speak, but the words come out as static, and Bokuto immediately jumps into action, all but shouting “Akaashi, system reboot.”

The effect is immediate, and when he hears the gentle whirring of Akaashi’s processors start up; joints and fingers glowing, Bokuto lets go of a breath he didn’t realise he was holding. The confusion in Akaashi’s eyes flickers in his head like an antique film; the unfamiliar, unknown pain felt by the android pulling Bokuto out of his dejected funk and prompting him to work harder to fix the generators.

It takes two more days, but the renewed vigor in Bokuto’s step brightens the darkest crevices of the warehouse, and when the main generators finally rumble back to life, Bokuto lets out a triumphant hoot, bounding back into the warehouse and pulling Akaashi out of his seat to spin the two of them around the computers now blinking and chirping awake.

“We did it, Akaashi!” He whoops, and Akaashi blinks before smiling softly.

“It was all you.”

  
***  
  


Akaashi watches Bokuto as he fusses about the warehouse, bounding from one corner to another in what feels like mere seconds. He knows rationally that this is not possible – he’s done the calculations – but as he watches Bokuto the only codes he can come up with roughly translate as: _boundless; soaring; alive._

“You’re going to break if you’re not careful,” Akaashi drones drily from his canvas chair, flipping through the instructions manual for an early model android, long since decommissioned.

“I’m fine!” Bokuto hollers, before tripping over a stray lead with a surprised shout, and Akaashi looks up from his manual, single brow raised as he assesses the engineer, who is now rolling around the floor mewling.

“Akaashi you jinxed me!” He whines, and Akaashi pinches the edges of his mouth together as he decodes the complaint.

“You are a scientist. Do you need me to explain why jinxing doesn’t work?” Akaashi deadpans, and from his position on the floor, Bokuto sticks his tongue out at the android, who recognises the action as one of jest, and thus turns his nose up.  When he sneaks a glance back to Bokuto, he finds his sorry excuse of an engineer sitting cross-legged on the concrete floor, head hung low as he picks at frayed threads in his shirt hem. As he watches Bokuto pouting on the floor, Akaashi slowly brings the android manual down to rest his lap. _If I ignore him,_ Akaashi thinks, memories of the last accident flickering behind his eyes, _he may not pull himself out of this mood._

With a sigh, he sets the manual down altogether and peels himself out of his chair.

“I was comfortable, you know,” he complains as he sinks down to where Bokuto is sitting, rocking his weight back onto his calves. When no response follows, he pokes at Bokuto’s bicep and drags out a monotone “Excuse me,” syllables flat and metallic.

“What do you want?” Bokuto mutters, refusing to look at Akaashi, who tries (and fails) not to roll his eyes too hard. He huffs out a breath of indignation as the stabilizers in his eye sockets recalibrate, wincing as he feels his eyes adjust with a metallic click.

“You made my eyes recalibrate again,” he gripes, to which Bokuto peeks up at him, curling in on himself.

“Sorry, Akaashi.”

“You will be if you don’t quit moping.”

“Second law, Akaashi!”

“It’s the first law, actually, and we both know if I ignored you then I’d be breaking it regardless.”

There’s a pause, and suddenly Bokuto looks up at Akaashi with a scrutinising look.

“You think I’d hurt myself if you didn’t intervene?”

Akaashi watches Bokuto with a steady gaze.

“I think you would give yourself a headache from trying to form coherent thought. That counts, doesn’t it?”

“Wouldn’t I love to have a word with whoever coded your personality,” Bokuto growls as he pushes himself off the floor. Akaashi watches him with a bemused expression.

“I think you’ll find that you coded the majority of it,” he smiles, before tilting his head into a shrug and turning away from Bokuto, leaving the scientist slack jawed and speechless as he goes back to reading about his outdated kin.

 

***  
  


“Akaashi, this is Kuroo. Kuroo, Akaashi.” Bokuto looks like a proud father as the person accompanying him – _Kuroo_ – stares at Akaashi with wide eyes.

“No fucking way,” he breathes as he watches Akaashi perched on the workbench, swinging his legs as he assesses the newcomer with a steady gaze.

“He’s pretty, isn’t he?” Bokuto grins, and Akaashi scrunches his nose up at the compliment.

“Pretty? Bokuto, he’s a fucking _robot_.” Kuroo exclaims, and suddenly the atmosphere in the warehouse appears to freeze.

“Kuroo I told you n–” Bokuto starts to say, panic making his voice sound tight, but before he can finish scolding the dark haired boy, Akaashi cuts him off.

“We don’t use that word around here very often,” the android says in a clipped tone, pushing himself off the workbench and fishing out an old novel from a pocket in his chair, “It’s impolite.”

From the corner of his eye, Bokuto watches as Kuroo swallows once, turning towards his grey-haired friend with a pale face.

“Is he going to kill me in my sleep now like the terminator or something?” He asks shakily.

Bokuto blinks before howling out a laugh, slapping Kuroo on the back with enough force to send him stumbling a few steps forward. “No, idiot,” he wheezes, then seriously, “But he might sass you so hard you’ll want to die anyway.”

Akaashi listens to the conversation as he pretends to read, satisfaction humming in his joints. The word _robot_ jumbles around in his head as he turns to his book properly, glancing up at the two boys now chattering excitedly about some new hardware Bokuto is installing into his computers.

––

_“Why do you hate being called a robot?” Bokuto asks, watching Akaashi for any signs of possible glitching. Surprisingly, Akaashi’s response comes out without so much as a falter, as though the words are hardwired in his programming._

_“Why are robots so different from humans?” He says, voice smooth as silk, “They say the wars started because of us, but who is really to blame?”_

_Something flickers across Bokuto’s face, and he huffs out a quiet laugh before turning away from Akaashi._

_“You know, I wonder about that.”_

––

“–ashi…Akaashi…Hello? Can you hear me?”

Akaashi feels his body snap forward as he breaks out of the memory he was caught in to find Bokuto watching him with a nervous gaze. Kuroo stands behind him, chewing his nails anxiously.

“Are you okay, Akaashi? You kinda, made a small ‘pop’ sound and locked up, we thought you’d overheated or something!” Bokuto laughs, but the sound is distorted, almost resembling a sob.

“I’m sorry,” Akaashi blinks twice, realising he’s dropped his book, “My memory cortex seems to have glitched. I think I’m okay now, though.” He reassures Bokuto, whose eyes are roaming across Akaashi’s face as though looking for something.

“Is it because I said the ‘r’ word?” Kuroo pipes up from behind Bokuto, and Akaashi focuses on the dark haired boy with a steely gaze.

“Yes, actually,” he deadpans, looking smug as Kuroo turns to stone, face going ashen. From where he’s crouched in front of Akaashi, Bokuto giggles, murmuring a “play nice,” to the android.

When it comes time for Kuroo to leave, he all but engulfs Bokuto in a firm hug, muttering a “You know you can come back anytime you want, right? Even Kenma misses you sometimes,” into his friend’s neck.

“I know, but I have to stay here,” Bokuto smiles gently when the two pull away from each other, Kuroo maintaining his grip on Bokuto’s arms.

“I know,” the dark haired boy says, before turning to Akaashi and holding his hand out. The action flickers behind Akaashi’s eyes, and he looks up with obvious surprise before taking the hand offered and giving it a gentle shake.

“Handshakes are done when you meet new people,” he says curiously, and behind him, Bokuto covers up his snort with a cough, leaving Kuroo confused and suspicious as he looks between the two.

“It’s just a thing,” Bokuto explains through hiccups of laughter, and Kuroo frowns for a second before turning back to Akaashi with an unfamiliar look.

“Huh. Interesting.” Is all he says, before shrugging into his coat and ducking out of the warehouse by the back door, offering a small salute as he walks down the driveway and disappears around a corner.

“Interesting?” Akaashi asks as he turns to Bokuto.

“Interesting.” Bokuto responds with a smile, shoulders lifted into a shrug.

 

***  
  


Kuroo visits become a regular thing, and Akaashi finds that once he properly talks to the guy, he’s actually quite pleasant company.

“Hey, I’m always this nice!” Kuroo protests when Akaashi explains this to him, and Bokuto laughs from behind his welding shield.

“It’s just your face,” he says, words muffled by the mask, and Akaashi huffs, walking over to the engineer and flicking the mask up.

“If you’re done welding, take the mask off. It makes your voice distort,” he says coolly, and Kuroo watches as Bokuto’s eyebrows shoot up at the gesture.

“Ooh, did Akaashi learn a new trick?” Kuroo teases, and Akaashi fixes him with a glare as he hops back to where he was seated on the workbench.

“Last time I checked, I’m not a mecha-pet, so unfortunately for you, no new tricks here.” He deadpans, and Kuroo flushes at the retort.

“Sorry,” he apologises, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“You will be,” Akaashi responds, but before Kuroo can even process the threat, Bokuto barks out a, “First law, Akaashi!” Followed by a softer, “God. Who taught you how to talk back to people like that?” And the android actually smiles.

“You remembered the correct order this time,” he quips, and Kuroo’s gaze flicks between the two as if watching a tennis match.

“You should give your master programmer more credit,” comes Bokuto’s response, pressing a thumb against his chest proudly. In his free hand, he shakes the robotic arm he’s disassembling at Akaashi in an accusatory manner. The android ignores the arm, firing back with a “More like a master five year old,” ultimately ending the round.

Kuroo watches as Bokuto’s face heats up with indignation, before the robotic arm he’s handling twists back awkwardly and snags his thumb in its base link.

“Shit– Fuck,” Bokuto exclaims, dropping the arm and shaking his thumb frantically. He cradles the injured finger with a quiet “Ouch.”

Before Kuroo can move to check if his friend is okay, Akaashi propels himself off the bench and takes Bokuto’s hand into his own, inspecting the nail.

“It’s not broken, its just going to bruise,” Akaashi blinks up at Bokuto, seeming to waver for a moment as the engineer looks back at him with a startled gaze.

“…I know that, Akaashi, you didn’t need to–” but before he can finish, Akaashi drops his hand as though it’s burned him, taking a quick step back from Bokuto. The android frowns for a moment before his head twitches into a slight tilt, and he murmurs a quiet, “perhaps it’s just a motor malfunction,” to himself before walking over to his canvas seat, eyes flickering as they attempt to process what just happened to him.

Kuroo watches the exchange with an incredulous look, breathing out a “Holy shit,” as the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place.

“Did you program Akaashi to feel emotions?” He murmurs to Bokuto, taking care not to let his question reach the android’s ears.

“What?” Bokuto exclaims, jerking back from Kuroo with a look of disbelief.

“I don’t think so?” He says, tone raised into a question as he turns the strange query over in his head.

“I don’t know what model he was, but I’m pretty sure Akaashi was a service ‘droid before he was thrown away,” Bokuto explains in a hushed tone, “It’d be impractical for him to have emotions, or at least the ability to _learn_ emotions not preprogrammed, I guess,” he continues, half talking to himself. Kuroo watches as his friend struggles to articulate his thought processes before placing a reassuring hand on the grey haired boy’s shoulder.

“I get it,” he smiles, and Bokuto sighs, offering a relieved smile in return.

“What I don’t get, however,” Kuroo continues, “Is how you haven’t realised that he’s malfunctioning because of that very fact.”

Bokuto’s brow furrows in confusion for a moment as he tries to understand what Kuroo is saying, until suddenly his eyebrows jerk up into a look of astonishment.

“You don’t mean– ” he starts to say, but his question is cut off by the slow nodding of Kuroo’s head.

“Oh shit.” Bokuto says, hand coming up to cover his mouth.

“You know, for someone with a PhD in like, Physics and shit, you’re really fucking dumb sometimes.” Kuroo laughs, watching as Bokuto’s face turns a healthy shade of red.  
  


  
***  
  


“Why do you always sit on my workbench?” Bokuto asks one day, catching Akaashi off guard as he flips through another android manual, this time only a few years older than he is. Akaashi looks at Bokuto in silence for a moment before turning back to his manual, replying with a candid, “I just like watching you work.”

Bokuto feels his ears burn as he turns back to his programming.

“Your temperature just spiked, are you okay?” Akaashi asks, squinting at Bokuto. The engineer coughs out an “I’m fine,” before going back to his work, punching in numbers harder than is strictly necessary. They sit in comfortable silence for a while before Akaashi puts down his manual, casting a long look at Bokuto.

“Why don’t you live outside?”

The question makes the hair on the back on Bokuto’s neck rise, and he turns to Akaashi slowly.

“You know the robot wars?” He asks, huffing out a laugh when Akaashi shoots him a dirty look. “Of course you do,” he says, mainly to himself.

“I used to work for one of the biggest robotics companies in Japan,” Bokuto starts, “Hiroshi Ishiguro’s great nephew’s company. When the first war broke out, they started commissioning ‘droids programmed without empathy. They didn’t have to worry about ptsd, they didn’t really have to worry about anything except for like, making sure the lasers in their hands worked and shit. It was wild.” Bokuto pauses; caught up in the memory of the first time he ever saw an android kill something with just its fingertips. “Anyway,” he continues, “They wanted me to start developing stronger bots; bots that didn’t go down so easily when they were shot. I just wanted to make medics. When I refused, they told me that it was either develop the bots or be drafted, so I did what any sane person would and I ran away! I’ve kind of been a fugitive ever since, or something dramatic like that.” He turns to Akaashi with a wide grin, hoping that his overenthusiasm covers up the heaviness that’s settled over his shoulders.

Akaashi watches Bokuto with an even gaze, empathy simulator whirring softly as it registers Bokuto’s vitals, looking for signs of distress.

“I’m sorry if that memory upset you,” he says, voice soft.

“Nah, it’s fine, that was what, nearly ten years ago? I don’t even get nightmares anymore. Although that might be because every time I make a sound in my sleep you wake me up, asshole.” There’s no malice in the insult, and Akaashi sniffs, turning his nose up.

“You always ask for me.” He mumbles, and Bokuto whips his head around to face Akaashi.

“Excuse me?”

“Normally if I wake you it’s because you’ve asked for me in your sleep.” Akaashi explains. “Should I ignore your requests if you’re sleeping?” He looks at Bokuto expectantly, waiting for an answer, and Bokuto clears his throat before shaking his head, turning back to his work with a grumble.

“Do whatever you want, Akaashi.”

Akaashi blinks twice, then stands, moving towards Bokuto and placing his hands on the engineer’s shoulders, causing Bokuto to squawk in alarm, jumping out of his chair.

“Akaashi what?” He asks, alarm clear in his voice.

Akaashi looks startled for a second before composing his features.

“I saw Kuroo do it once; I thought might be a gesture of comfort. I apologise if I scared you.”

Bokuto stares at Akaashi for approximately three seconds before pulling at Akaashi’s sleeves and engulfing him in a hug. The android is silent, but Bokuto can feel the metal under his skin vibrating softly, as though his central processors are assessing this new gesture.

“Bokuto-san?” Akaashi murmurs, but Bokuto just buries his face into the androids neck with a sigh.

“You’re the best android I’ve ever created, y’know.”

Akaashi blinks, emotion cortex clicking as it decodes Bokuto’s behaviour.

“This is a hug.” Akaashi whispers.

“Yes,” comes Bokuto’s reply.

“A sign of affection?” Akaashi asks, voice flat and metallic.

“Yes,” Bokuto confirms.

Something in Akaashi pops, and he feels his central processor begin to rattle as it attempts to translate the situation into something readable.

When he begins to glitch after two failed attempts, he tentatively pulls away.

“You okay?” Bokuto asks; concern etching it’s way across his face.

“Yes, fine,” Akaashi says, but it’s an empty reassurance, and Bokuto watches the android as he appears to almost float to his canvas chair, brow creasing in thought.

_Maybe I am malfunctioning._

  
***  
  


“Bokuto-san, could you please check my coding for a bug, I appear to have a malfunction.”

Bokuto looks up from his work, eyebrow raised as he assesses the android standing behind him expectantly.

“What do you mean? You don’t get bugs, you’re not a computer.”

There’s a shift in Akaashi’s demeanour and Bokuto immediately forgets about the minibot he’s working on to face Akaashi properly.

“Is everything okay? Is this why you’ve been weird the last few days?” He asks, studying Akaashi’s face for the slightest change in expression. The android’s face stays composed though, and Bokuto hums for a moment while he thinks.

“Maybe some of your coding has gotten jumbled? You’re comprised of some pretty odd parts, after all,” he smiles, and Akaashi frowns for a moment, considering the proposition. When he’s made up his mind, he gives Bokuto a single nod before moving to his chair, perching on the very edge of the seat.

“I need you to be standing for this one,” Bokuto chuckles, “I need to have access to the motherboard in your back.”

Without a word, Akaashi stands up, turning away from Bokuto.

“Do I need to take my shirt off?” He asks, voice even as he waits for further instruction.

“Nah, I can just push it up as I need to,” Bokuto grins, moving over to where the android stands, preparing Akaashi’s base computer.

“So.” Bokuto claps his hands together, facing Akaashi with a wide grin. “What seems to be the problem, doc?”

The joke flies over Akaashi’s head, and Bokuto coughs after a moment, shuffling over to Akaashi and gingerly peeling his shirt up.

“Can you hold it? I need to unscrew your back.” The engineer giggles at the phrase, murmuring a bemused “That’s literally something I never imagined would come out of my mouth, honestly.”

“Bokuto-san, please be serious, this is a major malfunction.” Akaashi says over his shoulder, glancing at Bokuto as the engineer carefully removes the plate from his back, facing the mess of wires and circuit boards.

“Sorry,” Bokuto apologises, straightening up and focusing on the task at hand.

“Well so far I can’t see anything wrong, but we need to hook you up to a computer to check your coding as well,” Bokuto explains after preliminary checks determine that there’s nothing wrong with Akaashi’s hardware, “In the meantime though, what do you think has caused you to glitch up?” Bokuto inquires as he does a final check on Akaashi’s wires, looking up at the android expectantly.

“I’m not sure,” Akaashi hums as he thinks, and Bokuto smiles as he watches the android’s central processing unit light up softly, accessing the necessary information.

“It seems to occur when we are in close proximity.” Akaashi finally says, “I don’t understand why; perhaps you are radiating with more static electricity than usual?” Akaashi tries to offer up an explanation, but Bokuto has stopped inspecting Akaashi’s internal processors.

“It happens when you’re around me?” He asks, face pale.

“It appears so.” Akaashi confirms.

Bokuto is silent for a moment before gently picking up Akaashi’s back plate and fixing it back in place. He rests his palm between Akaashi’s shoulder blades for possibly longer than necessary, feeling the way Akaashi hums beneath him, imagining the whirring of machinery is instead the subtle shifting of muscle.

“I don’t think it’s your coding we need to worry about, Akaashi,” he breathes, gently guiding Akaashi so the android faces him with an inquisitive expression.

“What do you mean?” Akaashi asks, “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“You might not get it yet,” Bokuto grins, “But you will soon.”

As they wish each other a good night (Akaashi never failing to remind Bokuto that ‘I don’t actually sleep, Bokuto-san’, Bokuto never failing to respond with ‘I always hope your nights are pleasant, Akaashi’), Akaashi pauses, pulling Bokuto back by his sleeve.

“Can we– ” he starts to ask, before glitching slightly, facing Bokuto with wide eyes.

“Can we hug again?”

Bokuto seems taken aback by the request, blinking up at Akaashi with undisguised surprise. He wraps his arms around the androids waist without hesitation, smiling as he feels Akaashi tentatively returns the gesture.

“One would think you’re becoming more and more human,” Bokuto quips as he presses his body against Akaashi, who despite being comprised of steel and wires feels warm and familiar, humming gently under Bokuto’s hold.

“One would think that you were a real scientist,” Akaashi returns drily, and Bokuto whispers a loud “Shhhhh, don’t ruin the moment.”

Akaashi snorts as he pulls away far too soon for Bokuto’s liking, watching the engineer with an ever-steady gaze.

“Good night, Bokuto-san,” he smiles, words distorting slightly as he feels his central processing unit rattle uncertainly.

Bokuto grins, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Right back at ‘cha.”

  
***  
  


“Today is the day, Akaashi!” Bokuto exclaims, arms wide with excitement, eyes almost glowing as he sets up the computer.

“I hope you don’t mind that Kuroo is here; it was his idea anyway, I just thought he’d wanna be here to see when. Well, you’ll see! I hope at least… Oh god I hope it works, I mean-- ”

Bokuto’s excited chatter is cut off by Kuroo, a loud “Bokuto, please,” shutting the excited engineer up but not killing the nervous energy that appears to be radiating from every pore in his body.

“Please be careful, Bokuto-san, I would prefer to have this malfunction fixed as soon as possible.” Akaashi looks down at the wires attached to his chest, casting a nervous glance towards Kuroo, who offers him thumbs up. Akaashi interprets the gesture as one of encouragement, and smiles appreciatively at the dark haired boy, who’s chewing his fingernails as he watches Bokuto do final checks on the data to be uploaded.

“Okay Akaashi, this might feel a bit weird, it might hurt? Or I don’t know. I call this program ‘Cupid’s Arrow’,” Bokuto grins so wide Akaashi is surprised his face doesn’t split in half.

“Cupid’s Arrow?” Kuroo drawls, “You’re really just a giant loser, wow.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Bokuto protests, “This is _important_ ”

“Yeah, and also taboo as hell. Are you really sure you want to do this? You seriously won’t be able to leave for real if you go through with this,” Kuroo throws back, but his tone is gentle, eyes searching Bokuto’s face for the slightest indication that his dumbass of a best friend might change his mind. He doesn’t find anything.

“Like I could have left anyway,” Bokuto smiles sadly, turning to double (triple, quadruple) check Akaashi’s wires and the program he’s about to upload.

“Are you ready for this?” Bokuto asks Akaashi, watching as the android lets his eyes roam around the warehouse, settling on Bokuto with an imploring look.

“Bokuto-san, I am malfunctioning. I don’t I have any other choice but to be ready.” He reasons, looking up at Bokuto from his seat.

“I love it when you talk logic,” Bokuto grins, before throwing Kuroo a determined look and clicking on the ‘upload’ symbol.

At first, nothing happens, the three of them glancing at each other nervously, and then Akaashi gasps, eyes flickering so violently that for a moment it looks as though he’s powered down.

“Shit, shit, fuck Akaashi are you ok-- ” Bokuto panics, looking at Akaashi with frantic eyes.

“Bokuto, you need to calm down,” Kuroo jumps into action, reaching for his friend who is rushing to shut down the program. “Bokuto stop, STOP. Look at him!” Kuroo barks, stopping Bokuto in his tracks. With shaky breaths, Bokuto turns to Akaashi, who is now not only glowing from his fingertips and joints, but his entire body, warm light emanating from under his skin as Cupid’s Arrow uploads.

“Holy shit,” Bokuto whispers, “He’s stunning.”

Kuroo scoffs at his friend, who watches with wide eyes as the light radiating from Akaashi pulsates gently, as though mimicking a heartbeat.

“Wait,” Bokuto murmurs after watching the display for a few minutes, “Do you think it’s supposed to be taking this long?”

Kuroo blinks at the question, casting the engineer a dumbfounded look.

“You are literally uploading a program into his software that defines and encodes the concept of ‘love’ and other similar emotions. Do you really expect this to take three seconds like any other average update?”

Bokuto thinks for a moment before nodding slowly.

“Yeah… yeah!” He makes a noise of agreement in his throat. “I’m sure everything will be fine!” He chirps, going back to watching the glowing Akaashi.

After what feels like a millennium, the light pulsating out of Akaashi begins to dim, leaving only his fingertips and joints glowing as they usually do. Kuroo and Bokuto share a nervous look before turning to watch Akaashi as his eyes stop flickering, lenses focusing as the program reaches the end of it’s code.

“Thank _god_ ” Bokuto exhales, letting go of a breath he didn’t realise he was holding.

Akaashi is still for a moment before suddenly jerking forward, and both Bokuto and Kuroo jump forward to catch him.

No one says any thing for a moment, until there’s a soft pop and Akaashi speaks.

“Cupid’s Arrow?” He huffs, “You really couldn’t think of anything better?”

Before Bokuto can even open his mouth to protest, Kuroo roars with laughter, doubling over as he struggles for breath.

“You fucking-- Oh shit, Bokuto, never let this one go” the dark haired boy cries, wiping tears from his eyes. Bokuto’s mouth gapes, making him look like some sort of rare feathery fish.

“I fix your ‘malfunction’ and this is how you respond.” He says, voice high with incredulity. “Fucking incredible.”

Akaashi watches as Bokuto shakes his head, small smile creeping across his face. He slowly rises from his chair and moves towards Bokuto, who’s watching him like a deer caught in headlights.

“This is love,” the android says, suddenly standing so close to Bokuto their noses are practically touching.

“It was never a malfunction,” Akaashi murmurs, “It was always love.”

Bokuto swallows, suddenly hyper-aware of how dry his mouth is, and Akaashi moves back, resting a hand on Bokuto’s arm.

“Alright, kids, time to pack that shit away. You have a guest, remember?” Kuroo says, smug smile sitting comfortably on his lips.

“I have one more test to complete,” Akaashi says, “To confirm my malfunction has been amended.”

Without waiting for Kuroo’s response, he turns back to the engineer, blinking slowly before pulling a wide-eyed Bokuto into his arms and pressing their lips together. The kiss is soft and languid, and Bokuto sighs into it like he’s been waiting his whole life for this one moment. When they finally break apart, they grin at each other before the sound of Kuroo clearing his throat shakes them out of their reverie.

“And what was that meant to achieve? Demonstrate how gay you are? Jesus, do androids even understand the concept of sexuality?”

“The malfunction was triggered by my proximity to Bokuto. I was simply testing to see whether intimate physical contact would cause my systems to malfunction as they did previously.” Akaashi explains, voice even as ever.

“And did we pass the test?” Bokuto pipes up, trying (and failing) to hide the hopefulness in his voice.

“First impressions imply that yes, we did, but if you deemed it unsatisfactory then we could always try again,” Akaashi grins with a sly gleam in his eye, and Bokuto looks as though he might melt through the floor.

“Jesus Christ. Here’s your answer: mission accomplished.” Kuroo groans, scrubbing his face with his hands, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna show myself out before you two swoon on each other or someshit.”

“Tell Kenma I said hi!” Bokuto chirps brightly, snaking his arm around Akaashi’s shoulders as the android waves goodbye. Kuroo shakes his head as he walks towards the door, waving over his shoulder.

“Kuroo,” Akaashi calls out, and Kuroo pauses, turning back towards him. “Thank you,” Akaashi says, and Kuroo huffs out a laugh, letting the door fall shut behind him as he leaves.

  
***  
  


“So what now?” Bokuto says to Akaashi, looking at the android expectantly.

“Your temperature has been elevated ever since the update was complete. Maybe you should lie down.” Akaashi says, frowning at Bokuto, who gives him a look of protest.

“Okay, look. I know that you know that my temperature is elevated for reasons other than illness so you can stop being a dumb smart ass now,” Bokuto pouts, and Akaashi holds his stare for all of three seconds before bursting into a peal of giggles.

“You’re right,” Akaashi smiles, “I know you’re not ill.”

Akaashi watches Bokuto with an unreadable expression for a moment, causing the engineer to shift on his feel uncomfortably.

“What?” Bokuto says suddenly, taking a step back from the android now casting him a wary eye. “Why are you staring at me like that? I bet you’re planning my death aren’t you? You’re turning on your creator!” he begins to wail, going still as Akaashi continues to watch him, emotionless.

“Hm,” the android sighs after a moment, mouth turning downward as he looks at his feet. “Am I that transparent?”

“No fucking way!” Bokuto cries, leaping into Akaashi’s personal space and staring up at him imploringly, “I just made you love me, you’re not supposed to turn on me yet; shouldn’t there be like, a montage of happiness and rainbows before the bloody murder scene with the robot going crazy because it’s tormented by it’s existence and all that stuff?”

Akaashi listens to the outburst, nodding and humming sounds of encouragement where needed.

“True,” he says once Bokuto is red faced and panting, arms outstretched to demonstrate…something important, probably.

“That’s one way this could pan out,” Akaashi continues, “or you could stop watching antique Robocop movies when you think I’m ‘recharging’, which by the way, doesn’t even happen. It’s not 2014 anymore, y’know.”

The lack of response from Bokuto tells Akaashi that he’s guessed correctly (as usual), and he laughs, pulling a despondent Bokuto into his arms.

“I want to have a word with your programmer,” Bokuto muffles, rubbing his face against the android’s chest as Akaashi’s central processing unit whirs against his cheek.

“That’s standard,” Comes the response.

With a groan, Bokuto pulls himself out of Akaashi’s arms, glaring at the android, who stares back at him with blank a blank expression.

“Why would you even want me to lie down,” he pouts, and Akaashi’s eyes light up with surprise.

“Isn’t it customary to lie down with the person you love?” Akaashi asks, and Bokuto blinks rapidly, processing what the android is implying.

“Oh,” he says, dazed expression sweeping across his face. “Can you- I mean do you even know _how,_ o-or… uh. I thought I replaced your pelvic frame when I found you…” Bokuto stutters, brow creasing as he thinks.

“Um. I think we’re thinking about two different things.” Akaashi deadpans, eyebrow lifting as he scrutinises Bokuto, “I just wanted to…embrace?”

Bokuto pauses, looking back at Akaashi slowly, before exhaling with relief. “I thought you meant—”

“That’s okay; you did replace it,” Akaashi cuts the engineer off quickly, eyes darting to the side nervously.

“My pelvic frame.” He clarifies, “I can’t initiate intimate behaviours with my lower body, at least.”

There’s a beat of silence before Bokuto nods slowly, lips pursing as he thinks.

“That’s okay!” He says, voice bright, “I’d rather cuddle anyway!”

Akaashi gives Bokuto an appreciative smile, hopping up to sit on the workbench.

“I’m glad,” he says, tentative look in his eyes, “I was worried that you might try to update me with coding for Eros love – would you deem me as somehow unsatisfactory if that were not the case?” Akaashi asks as he settles down, apprehension flittering across his features. Bokuto takes one deep breath, face contorting into a look of anguish as he listens to Akaashi’s concern.

“I would never!” He shouts, startling the android. “I would never do that to you!” He continues to yell, voice seeming to boom in the open space of the warehouse, “You’re so great the way you are Akaashi– I made you, I should know!”

“Okay Bok– ” Akaashi tries to cut in, but Bokuto is far from finished.

“I mean, when I first found you, you were like, this heap of scrap metal it looked like, and I was like ‘whoa, new parts, awesome’, but then I tried to pull you out, and you just– you just _collapsed_ onto me.” As he continues, a frown manipulates Bokuto’s face, troubled eyes casting a side-wards glance as he continues, “They didn’t even– I mean they didn’t. They didn’t even try to retire you properly, just sent you into hyper-sleep mode and threw you out. I was _so mad._ You were half conscious, just barely functioning. I was almost too scared to bring you back because I thought ‘shit, this ‘bot might be geo-tagged’, but I checked you chest and they. Ripped it out. Your GPS tracker I mean.” There’s a pause as Bokuto grimaces, the pain of the memory stabbing at his heart all over again.

“Anyway, I picked you up and brought you back here, determined to fix you. I had to wipe your memory, so I don’t know if you remember any of this, but you looked at me before I shut you down, all heavy and glitchy, and you just. You asked me to take you home, like you weren’t even worried that you’d been tossed into the trash. That really fucked me up,” Bokuto finally exhausts himself, the weight of the story sitting heavy on his shoulders.

“You were the most beautiful android I’ve ever seen – and you still are! – You must have been a custom build, I don’t know. I really do love you.”

Akaashi looks at Bokuto with wide eyes, as though he’s been stunned with a cattle prod.

“I had no idea,” the android breathes, before looking up at Bokuto sharply.

“Bokuto-san, I feel as though I am malfunctioning again, can you please check my wires again? Maybe the update wasn’t as successful as we previously thought.”

Bokuto laughs, skipping towards Akaashi in a single step.

“That, my dear Akaashi, is what love _really_ feels like.”   
  


***

  
That night, Akaashi moves his canvas chair to where Bokuto is snoring softly in his bunk, limbs twisted in a way that suggests his muscles are going to cramp tomorrow morning. The computers glow softly in the background, and Akaashi marvels at the way the light reflects in Bokuto’s hair; gentle tones of blue and green refracting against the soft shock of silver that continues to defy gravity, even in his sleep. Akaashi’s fingertips and joints continue to glow soft hues of gold in the low light of the warehouse, and the soft sounds of a city he’s never seen echo into the night.

As he watches the engineer’s face tense and relax, trapped in stages of REM sleep and dreams, Akaashi can feel his internal processes whirring softly, documenting his change of response towards the warehouse.

What once meant fear now only ever translates to love.

As he lets his eyes roam over the sleeping figure almost glowing against the blinking lights of the computers, Akaashi wonders back to the first time he saw Bokuto; the keywords triggered by his appearance. He smiles softly as he feels his visual cortex reassess the engineer, clicking softly as it recodes the trigger response for ‘Bokuto’. As he looks at the being before him, the only words Akaashi can define amongst the blur of numbers dominating his thoughts are: _safe; familiar; home._

**Author's Note:**

> I mightttt make this into a lil series of oneshots with androids and robots but idk because like how many times can you write about androids falling in love with their humans really HA anyway we shall see...
> 
> my twitter is @brokutobot if you want to chat!


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